Cave Spring senior point guard Devin “Mookie” Beckner, a speedster and key contributor for the Knights’ basketball team this season, appropriately signed Thursday afternoon to play for the “Runnin” Royals of Eastern Mennonite University.
Holding back his college choice until the last moment before a packed house in the Cave Spring gym, Beckner’s announcement drew spontaneous cheers and applause by the student body, fans and his fellow teammates.
The signing marked another peg in the list of players to continue basketball at the college level for third-year Cave Spring head coach Jacob Gruse.
A 3-year varsity player, and co-captain of the 2017-18 team that was eliminated in the state playoff run by then-undefeated Northside, Beckner had impressive career totals that reflected his versatility on the court, including 77 total games, 673 points, 277 rebounds, 323 assists and 150 steals.
During his senior year, Beckner was named All-Tournament in the K-Guard Classic, First Team All-District and Second Team All-Region. He had also considered Andrew College, Ferrum and Apprentice School.
At Eastern Mennonite, an Old Dominion Athletic Conference member, Beckner will play for head coach Melvin Felix. He will be joining a “Runnin” Royal team that made a lot of noise in March after knocking off Bridgewater in the opening round of the ODAC Tournament 70-67, defeating #1 seed Randolph Macon in the second round at Salem Civic Center, 56-54, and overcoming a 22-point deficit before losing to Emory & Henry 78-76 in the semifinals.
“It all came down to me just liking EMU and what the school is about,” Beckner said Thursday. “It’s a Christian school that offered a philosophy I felt good about.”
“Mookie left his mark on Cave Spring basketball,” Gruse noted. “He’s a vocal leader on and off the court, and more importantly, a solid person. He was a go-to guy. We talked a lot about his choice of Eastern Mennonite to make sure it was the best decision and best fit.”
Bill Turner
